The present invention relates to an air-conditioning register that blows out air-conditioning air, which is delivered from an air conditioner, through the outlet of an airflow passage. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air-conditioning register having a shut-off damper for opening and closing the airflow passage.
Vehicles have air-conditioning registers, that are installed in the instrument panel and blow air-conditioning air delivered from an air conditioner through outlets. One example of such an air-conditioning register includes downstream fins, upstream fins, and a shut-off damper (for example, German Patent Application Publication No. 102014100441).
As shown in FIG. 14, the air-conditioning register of the publication includes downstream fins 112 arranged upstream of the outlet 111 of an airflow passage 110, upstream fins 114 arranged upstream of the downstream fins 112 in the airflow passage 110, and a shut-off damper 117 arranged upstream of the upstream fins 114 in the airflow passage 110. The downstream fins 112 are tiltable and arranged side by side in the lateral direction. The downstream fins 112 are coupled together by a coupling rod 113, which extends in the lateral direction. The upstream fins 114 are tiltable and arranged in the vertical direction. The upstream fins 114 are coupled together by a coupling rod 116, which extends in the vertical direction.
An operation knob 118, which has a rotation member 119, is slidably attached to one of the downstream fins 112 that is located at the center in the arrangement direction (the lateral direction). A transmission shaft 121, which extends in the flowing direction of air-conditioning air A1 in the airflow passage 110, is arranged between two adjacent upstream fins 114 that are located at the center in the arrangement direction (the vertical direction). The downstream end of the transmission shaft 121 is coupled to the rotation member 119 via a universal joint 122. The upstream end of the transmission shaft 121 is coupled to the shut-off damper 117 via a bevel gear mechanism 123.
Further, the operation knob 118 has a bifurcated fork portion 124. The fork portion 124 is located at a location offset in the arrangement direction (the vertical direction) of the upstream fins 114 from the transmission shaft 121, and sandwiches a transmission shaft portion 115 provided on a specific upstream fin 114 from above and below. In some cases, a rack-and-pinion (not shown) is employed in place of the fork portion 124 and the transmission shaft portion 115.
With the above described air-conditioning register, when a force in the arrangement direction (the lateral direction) of the downstream fins 112 is applied to the operation knob 118, the downstream fin 112 provided with the operation knob 118 is tilted. The tilting motion of this downstream fin 112 is transmitted to the other downstream fins 112 by the coupling rod 113. All the downstream fins 112 are thus tilted in synchronization.
In contrast, when the operation knob 118 is slid along the downstream fin 112 in the arrangement direction of the upstream fins 114 (the vertical direction), the sliding motion is transmitted to the upstream fin 114 provided with the transmission shaft portion 115 via the fork portion 124 and the transmission shaft portion 115, so that the upstream fin 114 is tilted. The tilting motion of this upstream fin 114 is transmitted to the other upstream fins 114 by the coupling rod 116. All the upstream fins 114 are thus tilted in synchronization. The tilting motions of the downstream fins 112 and the upstream fins 114 change the direction of the air-conditioning air A1 blown out of an outlet 111.
Further, when the rotation member 119 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the shut-off damper 117 via the universal joint 122, the transmission shaft 121, and the bevel gear mechanism 123. This tilts the shut-off damper 117, so that the airflow passage 110 is opened or closed.
As described above, in the air-conditioning register described in German Patent Application Publication No. 102014100441, the rotation member 119 is incorporated in the operation knob 118. If the rotation member 119 were provided at a location different from the operation knob 118, an additional space for installing the rotation member 119 would be needed. However, such a space is unnecessary in the air-conditioning register of the publication.
In the air-conditioning register disclosed in German Patent Application Publication No. 102014100441, the upstream fin 114 on which the transmission shaft portion 115 is provided is different from the upstream fin 114 located at the center in the arrangement direction (vertical direction). Thus, when the operation knob 118 is slid, the fork portion 124 and the transmission shaft portion 115 transmit force on an upstream fin 114 that is different from the one that is located at the center in the arrangement direction (the vertical direction). Therefore, the operational torque significantly fluctuates when the operation knob 118 is slid, which degrades the operational feeling.